Control Yourself
by FireWasp
Summary: I remember one student in particular who was incredibly enticing. And here he is, calmly walking down the road and towards the forest. The night, it speaks to me. I can sense it. The confidence he holds on his shoulders, The power running in his veins. ...I must have him.
1. Prologue

Control Yourself

(For those who remember an account called PuccaPuccaDanceParty, well HEYYY. IM BACK BITCHESS. :) I deleted my old account for a few reasons. First, I was not confident in the way my previous FFs were going and I wanted to change them entirely. Second, I just recently graduated highschool and my time was very limited so I wasn't able to write even though I really wanted to. Anyway, I notice that since Pucca was cancelled, this FF forum for her has been collecting dust :( That makes me so sad... But in the hope that one day the show will be back on the air and to feed my urges to create my own versions of said beloved characters, I present to you the second of two FFs for Pucca. Im writing these at the same time so the first will explain the past of these characters (not my new OCs but garu pucca, etc.) So this second FF is more dramatic and slightly dark! I hope whoever reads this will enjoy and please review/favorite if you do enjoy :) I hope I'm not one of the last Pucca fans dragging through the remains of the Pucca FFs... sigh.)

Prologue

What a lovely view.

This village seemed different, almost basic. It has changed since my last visit and I needed to check up on the children. Their training had gone well, but only a few of his students had shown promise.

I remember one student in particular who was incredibly enticing. And here he is, calmly walking down the road and towards the forest. The night, it speaks to me. I can sense it. The confidence he holds on his shoulders, The power running in his veins. ...I must have him.

Feathers fall at my feet as my loyal wanderers perch on my arms and shoulders. By the time he looks back, I have vanished.

Do not fret. We shall meet very soon.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Garu heard two faint knocks on his door.

_ 'Huh. Wasn't expecting that'_ he thought to himself as he dried his hair with a towel, and headed towards the door. Garu had become accustomed to his morning routine. Wake up, brush teeth, shower, and prepare for a visit from you know who. It was, however, very unusual of her to knock.

Sliding the door open, he raised his eyebrows at the sight before him. Geez, she looked like shit. Her hair was sloppily pulled up in her buns and her eyes were seriously bloodshot.

"...Um... Morning?" Garu said looking at her in concern. Pucca yawned.

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't feel like sneaking in this morning. I'm actually pretty exhausted..." She laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

"...Right, well... You didn't have to come over if you're sick. ...you could always... You know, stop coming altogether. You've become quite a pest over the years." Garu scowled teasingly. Pucca grimaced at him.

"I liked it better when you didn't talk" she smirked. "You want breakfast or not?"

"I can walk there myself you know." Garu growled, stepping outside and closing the door.

"That's boring. ...can we not run there today? I told you before how exhausted I was." Pucca muttered.

"You think you need to ask my permission if you can put a pause on chasing me? I'm overjoyed." He chuckled.

"Baloney. I can see that sweatband your hiding in your pocket" she smiled peeking over his shoulder. "You were hoping for the morning workout"

"I'll admit I've gotten used to it. Might as well get something useful out of it. ...not that I care, but why are you so tired?" Garu asked. Pucca looked up at the clouds putting her hands behind her head.

"I haven't been able to sleep. I keep having the same dream over and over. It's horrible" Pucca shuddered and hugged Garu's waist. He groaned.

"Can you not?" He squirmed away. She held him tightly.

"Shut up and let me love you!" she smiled and he rolled his eyes letting her cling to him.

"I don't exactly have much of a choice. Never do." He replied, irritated. She looked up at him and pouted.

"How come you're being nice to me?" She asked. He turned red and shrugged.

"You don't feel well... Thought I'd give you a break since you were giving me one."

"...That sounds fair enough." She said, letting go of him as they started into town. Garu looked at her as they walked. It was very sweet of her to leave him be in public... That, or she was just way too tired to bother today. Yeah, that had to be it. They started to pass the houses in the village. The sun was just starting to rise, and it was way too early for anyone else to be up and about.

"...so what's this dream about?" Garu asked, trying to be more social than usual.

"I thought you didn't care." Pucca replied with a sly smile. Garu shrugged looking away and she chuckled. "You're not in it surprisingly."

Garu raised his eyebrows.

"Really? I'm impressed!" He responded. She nudged him.

"I keep seeing these birds. They're really dark and they have red eyes that glow. It's very strange." She said.

"...in the dream, who are you?" Garu asked curiously. "Are you yourself?"

Pucca's expression darkened.

"No," she said. "Definitely not."

(The chapters will not be this short as the story progresses I promise :) R&R Please 3)


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"And then I cornered him! But he was way too fast for me. Can you believe he ran up a tree? A friggin TREE!" Abyo exclaimed, banging his fist on the table. Ching snorted, almost choking on her juice. Garu handed her a napkin, chuckling to himself.

"It was a squirrel Abyo," Garu rolled his eyes. "What did you think it was going

to do?"

"I don't know...," Abyo whined. "But he took my cookie! And Ching baked it for

me and everything. I've always hated squirrels."

Ching blushed a bit handing Abyo a basket of cookies she brought with her. As she lifted the cover, Abyo's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"I made some more this morning in case something happened to the first one."

She giggled. Abyo's face lit up as he excitedly snatched the basket.

"You're awesome!" He cried and started devouring the cookie. While stuffing his

face, he noticed Pucca staring blankly out the window, her food untouched. "Pucca you okay?"

Pucca snapped out of her daze and looked at Abyo. She smiled sadly.

"Yeah I just have a headache. Girl problems, you know?" She lied.

"Gross..." He grumbled. Ching smiled a bit.

"Well you did ask." She said. "Want a cookie?"

"You should eat the food in front of you." Garu murmured to Pucca who simply shrugged.

"I'll take it if she doesn't want it!" Abyo said happily and reached for her bowl of noodles which Garu quickly snatched away. He put the bowl back in front of Pucca, and she shook her head.

"I'd rather not," She said. "But thanks."

"Maybe she'll eat it if you feed it to her." Ching suggested.

Garu scowled and watched Pucca as she got up to stretch. He surreptitiously allowed his eyes to follow the curves of her body as she arched her back. He felt a slight warmth shoot into his stomach, as well as a familiar tightness in his chest. He grabbed his tea and sipped it nervously, averting his gaze.

"I just need some sleep… I haven't been getting much this week. Unofrtunately I have to go to the dojo first. Your dad asked me to stop by after breakfast, Ching." Pucca said as she collected the empty bowls of food and walked off.

"That's strange," Abyo scratched his chin. "Chang asked me to stop by the dojo too."

"Same." Garu mumbled. The boys looked at Ching who laughed and played with the ends of her braids, twirling them with her fingers.

"Dad said it's a surprise... Sorry. He didn't tell me what it was... But please don't worry. He can be really dramatic sometimes, but I'm sure it's good news! Some other villagers are heading over there. That's what I heard anyway..." She explained cheerily.

"Define: some other villagers please." Garu growled as Pucca returned from the kitchen.

"Well one other villager but… Oh Garu lighten up. So what if you see Tobe there?" Ching replied. Garu's fist tightened.

"I better not. He's been getting on my last nerve." Garu said and stood up.

"I'm going to head over there and see what's happening. The quicker I find out, the quicker I can go to sleep." Pucca said with a yawn and started for the door.

Ching and Abyo followed her out, Garu slowly trailing behind. They noticed the dojo doors were wide open when they got there. There was a huge sign that said 'BIG NEWS!' and streamers everywhere, not to mention the countless balloons spread out across the ceiling. Pucca, Abyo, and Garu all looked at Ching.

"S-sorry... Dad gets a little too excited about things sometimes... Heh heh."

Ching stammered. She was getting sick and tired of her father constantly embarrassing her around her friends. Everytime he pulled something like this, they'd always look to her for an explanation as if she was a spokesperson for his _interesting_ mind.

They all walked inside, surprised at what they saw. Eleven unfamiliar faces were either

staring them down, or talking and laughing with one another. Garu hoped it was only his imagination as he felt all eyes on him, and kept walking forward. He tried his best to appear indifferent to everything in front of him, but that was easier to think than actually do. He felt his palms grow sweaty.

Tobe glared at Garu as he walked past him, but Pucca shoved Garu forward so there wouldn't be an unnecessary confrontation. They sat down hesitantly, staying together and close to Chang who was too busy socializing with the group behind them. Ching stared at everyone absolutely baffled as confused looks were exchanged throughout the room. She felt her annoyance grow and her patience slowly shrink as she tapped her father's shoulder.

"Dad..." Ching growled. "What's all this?"

Chang just smiled at her as he proceeded to gather everyone into a large circle. Once everyone was seated, he took a deep breath and clasped his hands together.

"Good morning all. I hope your journeys to Sooga Village were not too tiring. My name is Chang and I am the owner and sensei of this dojo. As you can see our village is quite small, but don't let that throw you off. We have some wonderful and talented men and women who have recently come of age. Now, I need to do some explaining to my students who have absolutely no idea what is going on, so please bear with me!" Chang exclaimed, as many chuckled. He turned to his group lowering his voice.

"Dad... Explain. Now please." She groaned, irritated. Chang shot her a playful wink and turned almost immediately to Garu, who raised his eyebrow.

"I'm going to be honest here," Chang began. "I was waiting until you came of age to

enter our village this year. And now you are! Aren't you excited?"

"What do you mean, sensei?" Garu replied.

"It's been my lifelong dream to have one of my students win the golden kunai!" Chang exclaimed. Tobe snickered a bit, but Garu chose to ignore him. He was just too excited to give Tobe any notice.

"What's that?" Abyo asked.

Garu looked at him like he had six heads.

"It's only the most honorable token someone can bring to their village! And to obtain the golden kunai, four villages compete against each other." Garu explained as Chang nodded proudly.

"You told me about this dad. Four people from each village, and each year a different village hosts. So we're hosting this year, huh? You should have told us before!" Ching clapped, bouncing in excitement. She stopped suddenly, lowering her voice. "...Wait. Why is Tobe here? He's not your student."

Chang looked irritated.

"I know. But unfortunately-"

"I'm not eighteen yet." Pucca murmured, understanding. Chang nodded sadly and Abyo groaned.

"Oh great. Tobe and Garu in the same competition. That'll go well." He rolled his eyes. Garu glared at Tobe who just laughed.

"Hey now. I'll play nice." He said sitting back. Pucca shot a disdainful glance at Tobe.

"What's the catch?" she spat. Tobe leaned forward and looked her up and down.

"None of your business. Why don't you be a good girl and get Sooga's most handsome fighter some food? You are just a waitress after all. You might as well make yourself useful." He sneered in response. Garu stood up, but Pucca grabbed his leg. All eyes in

the room were on him, but he was too angry to notice.

"He's not worth it and you know it." Pucca muttered pulling him back down. She

lowered her voice. "People are staring…"

"Don't worry Garu, he's just talking about me!" Abyo exclaimed and Tobe rolled his eyes, getting up and walking away. Some around the room chuckled as Abyo flexed for them. Chang shot a warning glare at Garu and walked over to the other groups.

"...I'm Sorry." Garu muttered to Pucca. "I just want to punch him in the face so

badly when he says things like that. ...well I want to punch him in the face

regardless."

"You haven't meditated in a while, have you?" She asked.

"Tobe hasn't given me the chance to-... How did you know that?" Garu asked her, one eyebrow raised. She smiled at him as he stared back with a baffled look on his face.

"I just know." She said quietly and scooted over to Ching and Abyo. Garu felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. A very green pair of eyes greeted his own, as well as an extended hand. Garu swallowed, nervously.

"Hi, I'm Rin-Tou." The boy spoke, his voice somewhat gravelly. He had short, spiked orange hair, and very hairy arms. Garu took his hand and almost winced at the strength of the boy's grip.

"I'm G-"

"Oh we all know who you are, Garu. You're that FireWasp ninja kid. Word gets far about that kind of achievement." Rin-Tou said quickly. Garu's face flushed, not realizing how well known he was. He didn't expect total strangers to know his name as if he were famous.

"Well... Thanks. I trained for a long time to get that title." He smirked. Rin-Tou laughed letting go of Garu's hand which was throbbing slightly.

"I'm sure you did! The first FireWasp in over 200 years. Yeah. That's pretty damn big. But I'm not the ninja type myself." He said looking over Garu's shoulder, suddenly a bit distracted.

"So... What is your... 'Type' then?" Garu asked trying to keep up the conversation, which was proving to be extremely difficult for him.

"It's... Complicated to explain but I uh..." Rin-Tou trailed off, losing his thought. "...sorry would you excuse me for a second?"

Garu looked at him quizzically and watched him walk across the room and stop right in front of Abyo, Ching, and Pucca. He shook hands with Pucca and said something to her. As Garu watched her cheeks turn pink, he felt a slight tinge of aggravation, but decided to shake it off. As he turned to look around the rest of the room, he once again noticed that many eyes were glued to him. For the first time in over ten years, he felt insecure. There were way too many people to take in. Rin-Tou's village seemed to be the only overbearingly social group. One person trying to mingle with each different village was a little overkill.

Garu slowly walked behind the staircase to drink from the water fountain. As he leaned down to drink, Tobe's face was inches from his. He was dangling upside down from the railing, his arms folded and a sly smile on his face. He expected Garu to jump back in surprise, maybe even take a swing at him, but to his avail Garu remained stoic as ever.

"Move. I'm thirsty." Garu said in a very monotone voice. Tobe growled in disappointment and jumped down, leaning against the wall.

"I could care less about this competition. I'm just excited to watch you humiliate yourself." He snorted. "You don't do well in crowds do you?"

Garu lifted his head, no emotion on his face.

"I'm not going to let you get to me anymore. So try to sabotage our village. I dare you. Just try." He said calmly, not breaking eye contact.

"Oh believe me. I would if I could. But don't worry, I'll figure out a few ways to screw you up. I always do." Tobe snickered, putting his foot on the fountain just as Garu leaned over to drink. He raised one eyebrow.

"What's stopping you then? Sabotage is the only thing you do well." He said, taking a drink, completely ignoring the large dirty boot inches from his cheek. Tobe clenched his jaw and let his foot drop, folding his arms across his chest.

"...like I said. It's none of your business." He replied.

"Hmm. ...whatever you say." Garu wiped his chin and started towards the bathroom. Tobe stuck his foot in front of the door.

"Don't think I haven't gotten stronger. I look forward to kicking your ass, pigtails." he sneered. Garu kicked Tobe's foot out of the way and locked eyes with him once more.

"I'd like to see you try, Scarface." He growled and Tobe backed up, feeling his temper build.

"...Whatever. If you think isolating yourself will help you win this thing, you're dead wrong!" Garu closed the door as Tobe walked away with a shrug.

"I hope that ginger steals your girlfriend too."

Garu stared at himself in the mirror, brushing his hands through his long black hair.

_Pigtails my ass,_ He thought. _But I seriously need to cut this shit._

The first challenge would be in a few days and he had been slacking off. This wasn't good. A fancy title he was given five years ago wouldn't be enough against those who had actually been keeping up with their training.

_What am I doing?_ He inwardly scolded himself. _Am I actually getting nervous?_ _Am I seriously going to let Tobe get to me?_

Garu took a breath and splashed his face with water.

"Pucca's right," he murmured. "I need to start my meditations again or I'll psyche myself out..."

There was a knock on the door.

"Excuse me?" A quiet voice asked. "Are you almost done in there?"

Garu opened the door and stepped out. There was a very pale young man standing in front of him wearing a dark blue robe. His thick gray hair was pulled back and stuffed into his hood.

"Sorry to interrupt. I heard you talking to yourself." The man tilted his head to the side. "Do you often talk to yourself?"

Garu swallowed, embarrassed.

"Well I... You have good hearing. I thought I was barely audible... Heh." He laughed awkwardly and the man just blinked. He bowed slightly.

"My name is Aganii from Driftyne village. It is good to meet you Garu."

"Does everyone here know my name?" Garu asked with a fake smile. Aganii blinked again.

"You are uncomfortable." He stated firmly. Garu shook his head.

"No no... I just... Well I took a vow of silence for quite a long time and I started talking again a couple of weeks ago. I'm not used to... having conversations... Exactly..." Garu stammered, scratching the back of his neck. Aganii nodded.

"I understand." He spoke clearly and his voice had warmth to it. Garu nodded at him and Aganii extended his hand.

"I noticed you touching the red haired boy's hand. This is a greeting, yes? Forgive me... My family has very strange customs. What is this exchange called?"

"It's called a handshake. It's a greeting. Sorry my palms are sweaty." Garu replied awkwardly. He took Aganii's hand and shook it. Aganii winced ever so slightly at the touch. Garu let go immediately. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, my bones are just a little frail I suppose. ...Your friends are looking for you. Farewell Garu of Sooga." He bowed once more and walked away. Garu groaned at how badly the conversation went and closed the bathroom door. As he turned the corner, he found the dojo to be quite empty.

"There you are!" Abyo exclaimed, walking over to him. "Everyone else is leaving until tomorrow. Come on! I'm starving!"

"We just ate." Garu chuckled as they walked outside. Rin-Tou was talking with Pucca and Ching outside of the dojo.

"He seems nice!" Abyo said excitedly walking over to them, Garu close behind.

"Yeah," he growled to himself. "Nice."

* * *

"I'm sorry!" The girl screamed, falling to the ground and holding her bleeding shoulder. "I didn't know she would betray us!"

The man walked slowly towards her as she cowered, backing away.

"How could you not know?" He growled. "You are her sister. You have been plotting, Narissa."

"No!" She exclaimed. "Never! I would never betray you my lord! Never!"

The man stopped in front of her and tilted her chin up with one finger. His eyes were cold, yet inviting. Narissa squinted her eyes shut, and he threw her against the wall gripping her throat. She cried out, but her eyes remained closed. He tightened his grip and her face began to discolor. She lifted her head and he released her as she choked for air.

"I don't give second chances." He said and lifted her chin with one skinny finger. She slowly opened her eyes, accepting defeat before she could be killed. She knew she was expendable, and she feared for her life. She felt her will draining as his eyes burned into hers. Her thoughts suddenly quieted and she could only breathe as her legs moved by themselves. She stood up and blinked once, slowly.

"Find her." He said. Narissa's eyelids drooped and she knelt.

"Yes master."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Thanks for walking me around town guys!" Rin-Tou exclaimed happily, his elbow leaning on Abyo's head gently and forearm over Pucca's shoulder.

It had only been a couple of hours, and Rin-Tou had already begun acting like he was friends with the whole village. Garu remained very to himself most of the time, as if he wasn't even there. He just followed the group quietly, occasionally nodding at something Ching or Pucca had said while glancing at him in an attempt to include him. The five of them eventually made it to the fishing pond near the entrance to the woods. Garu sat down on a bench and Pucca plopped down right next to him, draping a heavy arm around his shoulder. He grunted in annoyance, not looking at her as she giggled cutely in his ear. Abyo and Ching sat on the grass near the pond and Rin-Tou sat on a rock in front of the bench.

"So," he began. "Are you excited for the competition, Garu?"

"...Of course I am..." Garu mumbled, hesitant to talk to the foreigner. The boy hadn't done anything malicious, but even still there was just something about him that rubbed Garu the wrong way. He couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"Oh, good you're talking to us! I thought you were just a walking shell for a while there." Rin-Tou leaned forward with a teasing glint in his eye. Abyo and Ching couldn't help but laugh as Garu scowled in response. Pucca just smiled at Rin-Tou. She was starting to enjoy his company more and more. Maybe this competition wasn't such an annoyance after all if it meant she could meet new people and make some interesting friends.

"I'm just not a vocal person." Garu replied, becoming more and more uncomfortable as each moment passed. The nerve of this guy, acting like they were all buddies! He was competition, and yet everyone had let their guard down and offered their trust freely to a complete strange that, for all they know, could just be pretending to be nice in order to find out their weaknesses.

"Well no need to worry, I'm not gunna bite you or nothing. I promise. What's your specialty then?" Rin-Tou asked and scratched his stubbly chin. Garu's eyes narrowed, as he felt his suspicions quickly becoming a reality.

"Well...Six weapons and five types of combat." Garu said. "But since we can only choose two weapons, I'm going with a simple kunai and my sword. Hand to hand goes without saying... Anything goes with non-weapon combat, at least for me."

"...Yeesh well don't be modest now!" Rin-Tou laughed, surprised. Garu raised an eyebrow, slightly amused.

'_That's right,' _he thought. '_Don't underestimate me.'_

"Wow Garu I don't think I've ever heard you say so much at once. That was a really long answer..." Abyo said, blinking a few times.

"Well he asked a good question. So, what about you, Rin-Tou?" Garu asked curiously. Rin-Tou looked at him mischievously.

"Nothing." He said simply. All eyebrows went up.

"Nothing?" Pucca asked, eyes widening.

"You can't be serious." Ching added. "You'll never last in the competition!"

"Unless he's not entirely human." Garu stated, unsurprised. "There have been many competitors who have been influenced by some sort of... Abnormal abilities."

"Well aren't you a smart one?" Rin-Tou tilted his head to the side. "You should know I'm not the only one this year. Weapons and fists will only get you so far, ninja."

"Hmph. Is that a threat?" Garu rolled his eyes and Rin-Tou laughed.

"Not at all. I like you. I like all of you actually. It's a friendly warning, I promise. It's a shame you're not competing, Pucca." Rin-Tou looked at her. "You look so capable. So... Strong. And different. I hope those weird dreams go away soon… Exhaustion isn't fun."

"Yeah its really annoying… but I'm not as tired now. And thank you, but it's okay. Ching, Abyo, and Garu will do wonderfully. And I know Garu can win if it comes down to it." Pucca giggled with a blush, squeezing Garu's hand a bit. Rin-Tou's eyes shifted back to Garu.

"So... Are you Pucca's boyfriend then?" He asked. Pucca looked at Garu and smiled, opening her mouth to answer for him.

"We're just friends." Garu said, emotionless. There was a long moment of silence, and Pucca immediately moved away from him. She was obviously hurt and extremely embarrassed.

"I …I can't believe you!" She stood up letting her bag fall to the ground.

"Uh-oh…" Abyo muttered to Ching. Rin-Tou looked very confused. Garu rolled his eyes at Pucca, which enraged her even more. She punched him in the shoulder hard and he recoiled in pain, but didn't show it on his face.

"What?" Garu asked her calmly with a nonchalant attitude, avoiding her gaze. Pucca's jaw clenched and Rin-Tou tilted his head to the side.

"Am I missing something here?" he asked.

"…No. Garu's right." Pucca said. "We are _just friends_. So, would you like to go out on a date with me Rin-Tou?"

Ching and Abyo looked at each other in shock. Garu's head snapped up and he looked at Pucca, bewildered. Rin-Tou grinned from ear to ear, standing up and taking her hand. He kissed the back of it gently.

"I would love to take you out. How about tomorrow night after the opening ceremony?" he suggested, letting go of her hand. Pucca took his hand back surprising him.

"That sounds wonderful." She smiled at him flirtatiously, rubbing the back of his palm gently with her thumb. Garu glared and stood up.

"You can't go out with him!" Garu exclaimed angrily. Pucca laughed coldly.

"And why not?!" she snapped.

"You've only met him today and you're asking him on a date! That's so stupid!" he replied angrily. She raised her eyebrows, dropping Rin-Tou's hand and shoving Garu lightly. How DARE he raise his voice to her!

"I can do whatever I want! You shouldn't be so heated about it. We're _just friends_ after all, right? So, you need to **back off**." Pucca growled, seriously pissed off. Garu got closer to her about to say something when Rin-Tou pushed him back firmly with his hand. Garu looked at him angrily.

"She said back off." Rin-Tou said in a low intimidating voice. Garu took a deep breath and shoved Rin-Tou's hand away roughly.

"Touch me again and you won't get that hand back." Garu responded. "I'm not afraid of some shape shifter."

Rin-Tou's eyes began to glow a light green and a low growl escaped his throat. Pucca stood between them and pushed them apart from each other. Rin-Tou looked at her and the glow faded. Garu snatched up his bag and looked back at Pucca with a cold look in his eyes.

"Do what you want!" He yelled and walked into the forest. Ching looked at the ground awkwardly, and Abyo looked towards the woods in concern.

"Garu!" Abyo said and started after the fuming ninja. "Ching I'll come by in the morning for tea."

"Um, alright then…" she responded and watched him disappear into the night after his friend. She turned to Pucca and frowned at the look of her face, feeling a tinge of anger towards Garu.

'_Why does he constantly do this to her? And to yell at her like that!'_ she thought watching Pucca pretend to listen to Rin-Tou ramble on about nothing important in an attempt to distract her. _'Doesn't Garu know what he puts her through?' _

"How far is your house, Pucca?" Rin-Tou asked, worry dancing in his eyes. Pucca pointed down the road. Rin-Tou looked back at her and laughed a bit. "I'll see you tomorrow then… unless you don't want to be alone? You still look upset."

Pucca looked up unsure, but Ching walked in front of her with a warm smile. She looked at Rin-Tou, trying to determine if he was as he seemed to be. This boy… was he a kind romantic, or just a strategic opponent?

"I'm walking Pucca home tonight." Ching said calmly and took Pucca's hand. "Have a good night's sleep, Rin-Tou. We will see you tomorrow."

And with that, Ching led Pucca away from a very curious Rin-Tou, who just waved as they headed down the road slowly. Pucca looked at Ching with a small smile, tightening her grip on her best friend's hand. She almost forgot how comforting Ching could be, since most of her time had been spent with Abyo for the past month since he professed his love for her. How happy Pucca had been for them… and how envious.

"Pucca?" Ching breathed, concerned. "How much more can you put up with?"

Pucca stared back at her, the question aching in her mind. Yes, how much more could she put up with? She never exactly thought about it before. She opened her mouth as to speak, but then no words came forward as her memory threatened to scold her with that particular moment.

"Last month at the harvest moon festival…" Pucca murmured, barely audible. Alas, Ching had heard her of course, and sighed dropping her hand. Pucca looked at her, tears glistening in her eyes as the lamp lights reflected in her pooling tears. "It was too special and… I can't forget about it. He actually opened up to me and… then he pulls something like this. It doesn't make any sense compared to that night when he…"

"Pucca, it doesn't excuse the way he treats you in front of other people. He acts as if… as if… oh! It just makes me so mad when he does that to you! Like he's-"

"Ashamed at the thought of us being together." Pucca finished her Ching's thought, trembling slightly as they arrived in front of the Goh-Rong. Ching touched Pucca's shoulders, her eyes burning into her best friend's.

"I wasn't going to put it like that, but… he acts like a different person when you're alone with him, doesn't he? Then maybe there's hope. …but that doesn't give him the right to treat you that way. Maybe this date will be good for you. Rin-Tou seems like a nice enough guy… not afraid to openly admire you. And he just met you today! You could have chemistry… It might give Garu a serious wake up call." Ching encouraged her, squeezing her shoulders. Pucca nodded and wiped her eyes.

"Thank you, Ching. I needed that…" Pucca whispered and hugged Ching tightly.

"I'll always be here for you, Pucca. Now go get some sleep okay? I'll see you tomorrow and we can go shopping after the first challenge is announced for the week, I promise."

Pucca nodded and headed inside after they said goodnight. She muttered something about a long day to her Uncle's, gone up to her room, and closed the door for the night. She could already feel her thoughts wandering, and let her head hit the pillow with a huff.

* * *

Garu closed his eyes as he felt the cool night breeze hit his face. He leaned against the tree trunk as he balanced on the branch under him. His arms were folded across his chest tightly, as irritation still pulsed through his veins.

'_The NERVE of that girl!' _he thought to himself. _'why does she have to get so angry at me all the time?'_

"OI! GARU! Come down from there already and tell me what happened back there!" Abyo yelled as he caught up to Garu, who had run ahead of him in an attempt to lose him. Garu rolled his eyes. Leave it to Abyo to suddenly take an interest in his feelings. He heard Abyo's attempts at climbing the tree and smirked a bit at the sound of him falling on his ass.

'_Idiot.' _

With a chuckle, Garu jumped down and sighed, looking at Abyo's slumped figure.

"Why did you follow me Abyo?" he asked. "When I head into the forest, it usually means I want to be alone."

Abyo looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Ugh when do you _not _want to be alone, Garu? Geez. I'm your friend you know. You could at least tell me what's going on with you!" Abyo replied, standing up and dusting himself off. "It's not every day that I watch you lose your temper like that."

Garu's eyes narrowed in annoyance. He folded his arms across his chest once more.

"Pucca likes to push my buttons, and I don't appreciate it. She thinks she can get angry at me for no reason and expects me not to react." Garu growled, tightening his fist, knuckles getting white. "And that… that_ guy _thinks he can flatter her into taking advantage of her, and then she goes ahead and _LIKES _it! The _nerve_-"

"Dude. What the heck are you going on about? Rin-Tou was just being nice. I mean, he wouldn't have asked her out on a date if you didn't say what you said, so if that's why you think-"

"I didn't _say_ anything wrong! And he was NOT just being nice, Abyo. What planet do you live on? Honestly! He's trying to figure out our weaknesses!" Garu snapped at him in response, feeling his irritation grow.

"Garu, that's just stupid. He was mostly talking to Pucca, and she's not even competing. He's not trying to get into her mind like that, so why are you worried?" Abyo asked, clueless. Garu was fuming with impatience at this point.

"Are you that blind?! It's not her mind he's trying to get into, it's her _PANTS_ you idiot!" Garu yelled, then took a deep breath trying to calm himself. Realizing what he said, he felt his face grow hot. Abyo looked dumbfounded.

"…you're really pissed, huh?" he muttered. Garu just rubbed the back of his neck and looked away in response. Abyo felt a smirk crawl onto his face. "ohh… I get it."

Garu glared at Abyo in doubt, but Abyo glared back with an incredibly smug look on his face which somehow managed to make Garu look down in embarrassment.

"Just… just shut up, alright?" Garu grumbled as he turned his back on Abyo.

"Just friends my ass." Abyo snickered. "We both know that wasn't true."

"Yes it is!" Garu snapped, turning around. "Don't start that with me Abyo I already told you a thousand times not to bring this up!"

Abyo scowled, putting his hands on his hips in disagreement.

"But you yelled at her. And that never happened before. Not like that." He responded.

"I just haven't been on top of my training lately. So what if I lost my temper? I'm human, aren't I?" Garu said, calming down. Abyo shrugged.

"I guess so. It was just… really off for you to do something like that. And to PUCCA no less." Abyo grumbled.

"What's that supposed to mean? I don't treat her any differently than I treat you or Ching." Garu said in a matter-of-fact voice. Abyo couldn't hold back the laughter that erupted at the comment. "What?!"

"That is total bullshit, Garu!" he snorted, trying to catch his breath. "And you know it too! Just go apologize and get it over with."

"Hmph." Garu tapped his foot nervously. "I don't want to."

"Then get used to Pucca's new boyfriend." Abyo said and smiled at Garu when he growled in response. "I'm tired from running after you, so I'm gunna go crash. Night."

Garu didn't respond as he watched Abyo leave. Half the time he was such an idiot… and then he would randomly just make sense.

'_But I don't want to apologize…' _he heard himself think, a tinge of anger pulsing through him. _'She was acting stupid and she deserved that.'_

Garu shook his head and mentally scolded himself for thinking such thoughts.

'_No. It's never okay to lose your temper. Especially not with Pucca.'_

He groaned and took off back towards the village.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Hanuré stumbled out of the wheat fields and wiped sweat from her forehead. She had been travelling so far and in the sun for so long, that she almost didn't notice when the moon had peeked out from behind a cloud. The wind never felt so fresh against her skin, not to her. This had been the longest she was outside for years, and the sensation was almost overwhelming. Who cared if she had a horrible sunburn? Yeah it stung. Yeah, okay, she was so thirsty her tongue had dried up like a prune. But that didn't matter to Hanuré one bit. Why? Because she was free. …At least for now she was.

She finally came to a cottage that stood next to a very small pond. Feeling desperate, she ran over to the house and knocked on the door. A young man answered the door and looked at her from head to toe. A lecherous smile slowly made its way to his face.

"Well well… what have we here? A weary traveler, perhaps?" he purred, his eyes never leaving her breasts. His mind wandered in a very dirty direction, as he examined her body. She had very long, smooth legs, and a gorgeous curve to her hips. Her large breasts were prominent and firm-looking, but well covered, which slightly irritated the man. He looked into her blue eyes with longing as he cleared his throat. "Are you thirsty? Hungry? Tired? Feel free to make yourself at home…"

Hanuré may have felt desperate, but she was no idiot. She sighed and stood where she was, unmoving. One hand rested on her hip as she stared back at him, unamused. "How far is Sooga Village from here? I was told it was nearby and that the parade had passed through here on the way there."

"We can discuss that inside, sweetheart. Come in you look absolutely exhausted." He replied, stepping aside for her to walk in. Her eyes narrowed at the man's false generosity and she walked inside. He smirked to himself as she passed by, excited for what he was planning on doing to her later in the evening. As he closed the door, he put his hand on the lock. As he was about to turn it, he felt the tip of something sharp right at his back.

"What kind of a fool do you take me for?" Hanuré growled. "If you wanted to take advantage of me, you could have at least put more thought into it."

"Damn…" he growled. "I knew a young beauty traveling alone in the night was too good to be true… What are you then, a ninja?"

Hanuré laughed so loudly it seemed to shake the walls of the small cottage as she lowered her weapon. The man turned around looking at her as if she had grown a second head. "…You're not a ninja then."

"Ninjas are pathetic and worthless. You're funny. I would never learn the ways of a _ninja_." Hanuré lingered on the word, hate laced in her tone. "Now then, you know of the parade? The competition of the golden kunai is being held in Sooga Village."

"Hmph, everyone knows that child. Quite dishonorable of you to miss the parade, if I'm correct in assuming that you're competing." He spat at her. She smiled with a chuckle.

"Honor is a waste of time. It's none of your business why I couldn't catch the parade in time. Just tell me how much further it is to the village. You're really starting to piss me off, lecher." Hanuré looked around the cottage and noticed a large jug of water on the table. She picked it up. "Hope you don't mind, you were going to offer it to me before raping me anyway."

"The village is very close. I travel there every Sunday to shop at the market. Just keep going straight and make a left at the cobble stone road. Are you happy now?" he growled in a very grumpy tone and glared at her as she drained the jug of water and picked something else up from the table. "Hey! Those are my apples!"

"What? I like apples… And you have like ten! Don't be stingy; you're lucky I'm sparing your life." Hanuré looked up as she took a loud bite out of one and stuffed a few in her arms. She smirked at his infuriated face as his forehead scrunched up in a really funny way. "You shouldn't make that face. What if it stays that way? What girls would want to lay with you then?"

"Shut up you bitch!" he snapped and lunged at her. Hanuré stepped out of his way as he ran into his table, knocking over a vase and shattering it. She couldn't help but laugh.

"You take care of yourself now. If you were lying about the village, I'll be back for your head." She smiled at him innocently and kicked down his door. He cried out in anger and looked at her in bewilderment. "Sorry my hands were full. Bye-bye now!"

Hanuré walked away from the cottage until she could make out the cobble stone road in the distance.

_'Finally'_ She thought. _'I'm on my way Aganii…'_

Hanuré reached the entrance to Sooga Village in less than ten minutes. Leaning against the pole, she caught her breath and located the dojo quickly. Once she got there, she snuck around to the back where the rooms were for the competitors to sleep. Climbing in through one, she made no sounds whatsoever and snuck past the sleeping villagers of the Za-Un Village. She headed downstairs to the breakfast trays and found Loki's, which was labeled under her old village, Driftyne. She took a deep breath and extracted a grounded up herb. Sprinkling the toxin over her breakfast, she sighed in slight guilt.

"Forgive me old friend…" she whispered, and with that she climbed up the tree next to the dojo as she waited for morning, allowing sleep to take her worn out and beat up body.

(Pucca's Dream)

'_My hands…'_

_ Pucca opened her eyes slowly, feeling sharp needle like sensations against her skin. She thought her hands were the worst of it… But that wasn't even the beginning. _

_ She knew for sure her eyes were open, wide open in fact, yet all she could see was darkness. Darkness was everywhere she looked, her eyes moving wildly, begging for even a speck of light. Somewhere… ANYWHERE…_

_ And then the darkness was moving. Only a little at first, but then as she focused her stare, she could see large motions of darkness. Something was covering her vision. _

_ 'Wings…?' Pucca murmured. She tried to move, not realizing she had been so still for so long. The moment she did, fluttering engulfed her and heavy feathers fell around her body. She looked up at the fleeing crows that glared down at her with horrible, piercing, red eyes. Pucca never wanted to scream so badly in her life! Their eyes felt as though they had pierced her soul. Pucca looked at her stinging hands, eyes growing wide with horror. They were bleeding and had marks all over them from the crow's beaks._

_ Pucca squinted as she looked up at the crows once more which had stopped glaring down at her and focused their attention to a nearby tree. She forced herself to stand, her hands still dripping blood and throbbing in pain. She stumbled towards the overly large tree and her jaw dropped when the fog had cleared in front of her. _

_ Pinned against the tree, his arms and legs pierced through with long sharp blades, was Garu. He winced in pain as the crows flew in a circle around him and around the large tree. She called out to him and he opened his eyes, looking at her in desperation. She read his lips as he mouthed, 'Help me…'_

_ She started towards him immediately, but her feet wouldn't move. She was paralyzed once more. She could only watch helplessly as Garu struggled, the blades pushed further into his limbs. A crow, larger than the rest, descended from the gray clouds and perched on Garu's head, its feet sinking into him. Garu screamed out in agony, his eyes turning red. He tore a blade from his arm, eyes suddenly fixated on Pucca. Without even a second of hesitation, Garu flung the blade at Pucca. She closed her eyes, preparing to die, when a green light stood in front of her. As she gazed at it in wonder, it took the shape of a man who clutched at the blade that was imbedded in his chest. The blade was meant for her._

_ 'No…' Pucca whispered as the scene started to fade. 'No…No! No!'_

"No….no….no…" Pucca mumbled, deep pain and fear etched into her voice as she winced, her breathing labored.

"Pucca… Pucca wake up." Garu spoke quietly, his hand on her shoulder as he shook her gently. Pucca's arms were draped over the fence of her balcony as she sat in front of it, fast asleep. This was how Garu had found her when he approached her bedroom from the back of her house. He decided to wake her up after seeing her in such distress. She finally started to come out of her nightmare as she winced and stirred. Her eyes fluttered open and she raised her head slightly.

"Wh…where am I?" she groaned, looking down at the fence she had been leaning on. She looked up at Garu who helped her sit up, concern all over his face.

"You're on your balcony. You must have fallen asleep here. I came by to talk to you and I was going to knock on your window, but you were out here." He told her as she sat back all the way in a chair that was usually tucked under her desk. She rubbed her temples with a groan.

"No that… that can't be right. I fell asleep on my bed, I know I did." Pucca looked at Garu, obviously very disoriented. He gave her a reassuring smile.

"That might be true… but remember after that Halloween party last year? You fell asleep at the dojo and woke up on my porch. You have a history with sleep walking." He replied and she smirked as she remembered. She stood up moving the chair back into her room and tucked it under her desk.

"I had another dream…" she muttered to him and he followed her inside.

"I know. It was all over your face." He said, leaning against her wall and watching her move around the room, absent mindedly picking things up off the floor. "I wouldn't worry about it too much, Pucca. Nightmares happen to everyone."

Pucca looked at him and nodded, sitting on the edge of her bed. "So," she started, sadness in her voice as she remembered what happened earlier. "Why are you here?"

"I came to apologize." Garu said, his eyes softening a little at the sadness in her voice. "What happened today… well it was a mistake. And it should have never happened."

Pucca looked at him. She noticed how genuine his tone was and felt happiness deep in her gut. The corners of her mouth twitched upward and she turned her body to face him in one quick, giddy bounce.

"Really?" she asked, her eyes brightening. "You really mean that?"

"Absolutely." Garu responded. "I wouldn't apologize if I didn't mean it. I shouldn't have said what I said well… how I said it."

"Oh Garu…" Pucca sighed, standing up and throwing herself into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck. His face turned dark red and he looked away, but he held her to him so she knew that he meant he was sorry. He breathed in her scent without her noticing, and couldn't help but smile. She smelled so good…

"I'm glad you forgive me. It was foolish of me to yell at you the way I did." He admitted, and felt Pucca suddenly get very stiff. She pulled away, the look in her eyes very sharp. He felt his palms get sweaty. "W…what's wrong?"

"You're apologizing because you yelled at me? That's it?" she growled. Garu scowled. He had a feeling it was too good to be true. He dropped his hands and folded his arms in front of his chest.

"Well I don't have anything _else_ to apologize for." He replied, slightly irritated. The hurt returned to Pucca's eyes and she backed away from him. He instantly felt guilty. "Oh c'mon Pucca, what else did I do wrong?"

Pucca looked into his eyes, searching for the answer to his own question. One look and she knew he was just playing dumb. Tears threatened to form and she closed her eyes, her fist tightening. She wouldn't let him do this to her over and over. It wasn't fair.

"You know what you did wrong." Pucca said after a long pause. "You do it all the time around people we know, but I don't let it get to me because they already understand how we are with each other."

Garu watched her tremble as she spoke, feeling that warmth in his stomach return from earlier. The sensation never seemed to go away around her, especially not when she talked about things like this.

_'Not this again…' _ Garu thought to himself, feeling his insecurities bubble up inside.

"Whenever there is someone new near or someone you want to make a first impression on…" Pucca took a breath and continued. "You make it a priority to avoid being paired with me… And I've decided. If you are too much of a… a _coward_ to admit that there's something between us, then… I guess there isn't. Is there?"

Garu looked at her, not breathing.

_'She can't be serious…' _He locked eyes with her, tears threatening to fall from hers. _'She is… she's serious. She's going to push me away if I don't…'_

_ 'Say something dammit…' _Pucca felt her throat tightening up on her. _'Are you that ashamed of wanting to be with me?'_

"Pucca I… it's not like that." Garu barely whispered, reaching for her hand. She pulled it away from him and looked at him with such anger that he felt his feet move back in response.

"Yes it is. And I'm sick of you treating me one way when we're alone and another way when we're around other people. You can't just toy with me like that!" she said, her tears drying up and being replaced by anger. "Don't you understand how _embarrassing _that is for me?! People look at me like I'm a wounded animal following you around, begging for your affection! You reject me over and over again in front of others. I've _never_ tried to hide my feelings for you, and you act like if you don't keep yours away from me then others would look at you like you're weak or something! It's _insulting_! That night during the Harvest Moon Festival we shared something! …You said you really felt something between us. Can you look at me right now and tell me that was a lie? That during our meditation sessions together, those spiritual connections, that… that _kiss_…that meant nothing to you?"

Pucca trailed off, tears leaking down her face. Garu swallowed, but his mouth had gone dry. How could one person hold in so much breath? What did she want from him?

_'A confession…' _Garu's mind answered him. He shook his head backing up, fear enveloping every muscle in his body. _'No… I can't.'_

"Garu…?" Pucca whispered looking at him back away. She watched the emotion in his eyes fade away as he clutched the opening of her door to the outside, the wind hitting her tear stricken face. With the most stoic expression he could muster, he took a breath.

"I'm sorry, Pucca." He breathed. His body trembling and face flushed, he took off into the night without another word. Pucca stood there watching his figure long after he disappeared.

"Run away…" she whispered grabbing the knobs of her door. "But don't be surprised when there's no one behind you."

And with that, Pucca closed the door.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The sound of graceful birds emanated throughout the village as the sun slowly took its place in the sky. Aganii took in a slow, deep breath as the curtains were drawn back exposing his pale face in the sunshine. He slowly opened his eyes, which were a somewhat burnt shade of amber, and sat up stretching. He smiled as he saw Jarai let his hand drop from the curtain string in order to turn the page of his book.

"Good morning, Jarai. Only halfway through that first novel I see. How surprising... You have a long way to go." Aganii said, letting his bare feet swing over and touch the ground. Jarai bookmarked his page and closed it with a smirk. Aganii blinked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"This is the third installment. I couldn't sleep last night." Jarai admitted sheepishly as he turned his head towards the bathroom, which had a horrible retching noise coming from it. "You missed breakfast Aganii… but from what I can hear, that might not be such a bad thing."

"Is that Loki?" Aganii asked, genuinely concerned as he stood up and pulled his hair back. Jarai nodded, tossing Aganii a banana.

"There was nothing wrong with my food, at least, I am not having a reaction to it in the way she is. Yakua, are you going to check on he-…" Jarai trailed off as he turned to Yakua who was snoring loudly on the couch next to the window.

"She's still asleep. I'll check on her." Aganii replied and made his way over to the bathroom, knocking on the door twice. "…Loki?"

"Don't come in! I feel like I'm dying! This is so disgus… oh no…" Loki grew quiet and Aganii opened the door, only to be welcomed with the 'beautiful' sight of a half-naked Loki profusely vomiting into the commode. She covered her chest, sweating bullets and glared at Aganii who just stared at her face in extreme worry. She tore the toilet paper at him. "I SAID GET OUT!"

Aganii instantly closed the door and leaned against it. He had not planned for this… They had to find out if this was just an upset stomach. Hopefully that was the case and Loki would be better in a couple of days. Unless… she was chosen to fight in the opening matches today, and that would be disastrous. One look at her and any medic with even an ounce of common sense would have her disqualified. That would mean their village would not be able to compete. Aganii felt his stomach twist into knots and felt a little sick himself at the thought of what his punishment would be.

_'He'll punish me through her… I know it.' _He thought, and swallowed as he clutched the door handle. Jarai walked over and put his hand on Aganii's shoulder.

"Shall we break the bad news to Chang, or get a medic to examine her first?" Aganii asked, not knowing what to do. Jarai looked away in thought.

"We could do both I guess…" he replied and headed outside, Aganii close behind. Chang smiled at them as he saw them walk down the stairs, and offered Aganii breakfast. Aganii refused, throwing out the banana peel he just remembered he had in his hand. It had been quite a good banana.

"I'm glad you have some food in you this morning. Who knows which two of your village will be chosen later today? Nerves never benefit from hunger." Chang explained, and noticed the troubled look on their faces. "What seems to be wrong boys?"

"Loki seems to have become very ill in the last few hours." Aganii said, looking at the ground.

"It was soon after she ate her breakfast." Jarai added. "Is it possible that the food may have been tampered with? Excuse my accusations… It's just odd."

Chang tilted his head to the side.

"I assure you, the food here is safe. It was prepared by the chefs from the restaurant down the street! No one had access to the trays, I know it. Perhaps she is allergic to peanuts? There were peanut butter sandwiches…" Chang suggested, perplexed. Jarai shook his head, no. Chang scratched his chin and motioned for a medic to come over. "There is a girl upstairs in guest room C who has fallen very ill. Can you examine her?"

The medic nodded and headed upstairs, Aganii watched him leave as he spoke, "Chang… if she is unable to fight for the next few days…"

"Then I'm afraid you will have to find a replacement from your village or your entire group will be disqualified. I'm deeply sorry." Chang replied sadly, his hand resting on Aganii's shoulder for a moment before he turned to greet the awakening members of the Crux village. They ignored him almost completely, except for a boy who was younger than the rest, who just bowed as he passed.

"I'm going to get some air…" Aganii sighed to Jarai who nodded and sat down at a table, reopening his book. As he stepped outside, Aganii took a deep breath and looked up at the clouds.

_'I wouldn't know what to do if he hurt her…' _he thought to himself, a bit scared as he imagined what would happen if they were all sent back.

"Thinking about me? so cute." A voice said. Aganii turned to look at the tree next to the dojo and his mouth hung open as Hanurè smiled at him, swinging her feet as they dangled from the branch she sat upon. "I heard you need an extra hand."

The shock left Aganii's face as he watched her jump down from the tree and jump into his arms, forcing her lips on his hungrily. He let his arms wrap around her body and pull her closer as he slowly closed his eyes, taking in her scent.

'_I should be angry with you…' _He thought, tucking a stray hair behind her ear as she pulled away to stare into his eyes, which he immediately felt water at the sight of her. She smiled and embraced him once more, her body trembling ever so slightly. He sighed in elation, rubbing her back soothingly. _'…but I couldn't be happier.'_

* * *

Ching had just finished braiding her hair when Abyo walked inside the dojo with a very sad looking Garu. She frowned as she watched them walk in and headed over just in time for Abyo to look back towards the door and shout, "Hey Aganii, you and your girlfriend should get a ROOM!"

"Aganii has a girlfriend?" Ching interrupted, stopping in front of the boys who looked at her. Abyo nodded in amusement, pointing at the couple just feet away who were still locked in a deep kiss, oblivious to everyone around them. Ching smiled and let out an aww. Garu kept walking inside and went over to the food table, keeping his head down. "What's up with Garu?"

"He went to apologize to Pucca last night, but apparently that just made things worse." Abyo sighed, shrugging. "I don't get what their deal is. I just hope they figure it out soon, because his bad mood is seriously bringing me down. He has some deep issues and won't open up to anyone about them."

"What issues? You mean like things that happened to him before he came here?" Ching asked, watching Garu as he took a bite out of an apple and staring back at her. She quickly looked away, but knew he already caught her gossiping about him. Abyo shrugged and wrapped his arm around Ching's waist.

"I dunno but he's going to have to figure it out on his own it looks like. I'm hungry… Can we go get some tea and cookies after the fights are announced and everything?" Abyo murmured, his breath at Ching's neck. She giggled, a shiver going down her spine as she nodded.

Rin-Tou's village headed down the stairs as others slowly began to file into the dojo. He looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep and was wearing a grey scarf around his neck. As he passed the one of the men from the Crux village, he snickered. Rin-Tou shot him a glare in an attempt to shut him up, but the man threw his head back and laughed.

His name was Koar, the warrior from Cruz Village that everyone seemed to be placing their bets on. He was a huge wall of pure muscle and testosterone, a large hammer slung behind his back. The hammer was bigger than Koar himself, though he seemed to not even notice it behind him. His skin was rough looking, huge calluses on his hands. Koar's eyes were a muddy blue and looked at the scarf with sheer amusement dancing in them. Rin-Tou stopped in front of him and growled under his breath. He didn't have the patience to deal with an arrogant asshole.

"What's so funny?" Rin-Tou snapped at the towering bully who raised an eyebrow in response. Koar got closer to him, trying to intimidate him.

"Oh I don't know. It could be your crooked nose or your puny little noises. Nothing at all to do with the stupid scarf around your neck." He added, "Faggot."

"Say that again you piece of shit!" Rin-Tou snarled at him, feeling his temper build. Sharp claws threatened to emerge from his fingertips as he took a step towards him, getting a lot of heads to turn. A sudden pain ripped into his neck as he clutched it with a gasp, momentarily forgetting about his anger. Sorra, a woman from his village, stepped up behind him and pulled him back.

"Calm yourself." She ordered. He shrugged off her hand from his shoulder in response and distanced himself. Koar laughed loudly.

"Who are you, his owner?" he asked, wiping tears of amusement from his eyes. Sorra didn't respond. She simply turned away from Koar and walked over to her village area. She sat in a chair next to a pretty young girl with brown hair and ponytails, who was rubbing the head of a boy. The boy looked somewhat bored as he sat on the floor, leaning into the touch of the girl above him. Koar observed that the boy wore a scarf around his neck that was nearly identical to the one Rin-Tou wore.

Arms draped over Koar's shoulders as his sister, Nakita, yawned in his ear.

"What's up with them?" Nakita asked in slight interest. Koar shrugged as he turned to get his food.

"Bunch of weak kinky freaks if you ask me." He replied which got a giggle out of his sister. Koar turned his head towards Ceo, the weakest in their group. "…I have a bad feeling about that wimp."

"Me too. He's gunna drag us down!" Nakita whined. "You should have heard him last night. He wouldn't shut up about how nervous he was. Koar, he's such an insecure dumbass. What if he messes us up?"

"Then he'll have to suffer the consequences." Koar smirked at Nakita who gave a devious smile in response. They headed over to their table with a large amount of food.

Garu was lost in his thoughts as he leaned back into the table behind him. How could he possibly concentrate on anything after what happened last night? Someone stood in front of him, and cleared their throat. Garu looked up, his mouth falling open at the sight before him. Pucca was in a graceful violet sundress that draped over her body, stopping just above the knees. It hugged her curves in all the right places, and had a faint floral pattern across her waist, a little bit of cleavage peeking out beneath the cloth over her chest. Her hair was in one braid that draped over her bare shoulder, and she smelled of lavender. Garu felt his face get extremely hot once he realized he was staring at her. He cleared his throat, trying to remember how to speak.

"Pucca..." Garu managed, swallowing nervously. She blinked a couple of times in response, her face blank. "You look very-"

"Carrots." She cut him off.

"…What?" Garu asked, wondering if he heard her wrong. She pointed behind him, and he looked.

"You're standing in front of the carrots." She said, her eyes impatient. Garu blinked and moved away immediately.

"Oh s-sorry… I didn't realize I was…" He said, watching her fill her plate with some carrots. "Listen Pucca… about last night."

Pucca turned around, looking annoyed.

"I shouldn't have-"

"Oh hey Rin-Tou!" Pucca waved at Rin-Tou who was across the room and he smiled at her, waving back. Garu's mouth was still open as she interrupted him, clearly not listening. She shoved her plate into Garu's hands. "Hey Garu hold this will you?"

"O…kay." He responded, taking the plate as she rushed over to the red-headed boy and embraced him. Garu blinked, feeling his face heat up.

"Ouch. Well that had to hurt." Tobe snickered, leaning against the wall next to Garu. Garu just scowled, shoving the plate into Tobe's hands.

"Shut up." He spat and walked away. Tobe shrugged and took a bite out of a carrot, walking away with the food. He was still trying to find Chang.

'_That guy is too damn busy.'_ Tobe thought. _'My problem is way more important than mingling with stupid outsiders, and now I aint gonna wait for that stupid challenge to be announced.'_

Tobe caught sight of Chang walking inside while speaking with a medic. He looked really frustrated, but Tobe didn't care.

"Hah! There you are…" he mumbled and started towards Chang, but Aganii walked in front of him with some chick. "OI! What gives?"

"My apologies, this is urgent." Aganii muttered to Tobe, turning back to Chang and tapping his shoulder.

"It's not that urgent asshole!" Tobe responded nastily, receiving a deathly glare from the girl. Fearing for his life, he shut up immediately.

"I overheard you talking to the doctor about Loki. This is Hanuré, Chang." Aganii explained, his hand on the girl's shoulder. "She's also from Driftyne village and would be a more than capable replacement for Loki. Is it possible that we can still compete?"

"Sure, let me speak with the officials. You couldn't be more perfectly timed, they were just about to write you out of the competition." Chang replied and smiled at Hanuré, shaking her hand. "Welcome and good luck."

"Thank you its an honor and a privilege." Hanuré replied with a slight bow.

"Great. Perfect. Chang I need to talk to you already!" Tobe exclaimed, almost stomping his foot. Chang scowled in irritation.

"Later, Tobe." He replied and walked off. Tobe was livid.

"Oh come ON!" he snapped and turned to Aganii, pointing a finger at his chest. "You just _had_ to cut in front of me didn't you?!"

Hanuré pushed Tobe away from Aganii roughly and shot him a second death stare. Aganii laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Now now… no need for violence Hanuré…" Aganii said to her.

"He touched you. …And he's irritating me." Hanuré replied walking away. Aganii looked at Tobe, slightly guilty.

"Again… my apologies." He offered to shake Tobe's hand, only to feel his wrist slapped away.

"Save it." Tobe spat and walked off. Aganii shrugged and headed over towards Hanuré. Aganii wasn't very comfortable around negative people, so situations like that were always awkward for him.

As the morning continued, Chang introduced the officials to the competitors. The officials seemed to take an interest in each village, discussing how clashing cultures would prove to be very entertaining. Sixteen competitors in all, this would hopefully prove to be an exciting year for The Golden Kunai. Just as they had every year, officials brought in a very old machine which took the name of each competitor and randomly determined who would face who in battle. Tomorrow's opening matches would be announced soon.

Crux village seemed content to remain by themselves at their own table, but everyone else seemed to enjoy mingling. Ching, Abyo, and Garu decided to sit at the Driftyne table. Aganii introduced them to Hanure, Jarai, and Yakua.

"I would have introduced you to Loki, but she's been very ill since this morning." Aganii explained. Garu could have sworn he caught a flash of guilt on Hanuré's face, but he ignored it. It wasn't his business.

"It's so lucky that Hanuré arrived this morning. We wouldn't be able to compete otherwise." Jarai added, smiling at her. "It's been too long."

"Yeah, where have you been?" Yakua demanded, sitting up. Ching noticed Abyo staring at the girl's overexposed chest and bashed him on the head with her cup.

"I've been really busy that's all." Hanuré replied in a very low voice. "Let's not talk about that. I'm surprised that the competition is here this year. It can't be just because you three came of age."

"Why do you say that?" Garu asked his head perking up a bit. "We've been working very hard."

Hanuré rolled her eyes and Aganii nudged her in the shoulder muttering, "Behave…"

"She has this pet peeve about ninjas." Yakua purred, reaching out to touch Garu's hand. "But I don't…"

Aganii cleared his throat awkwardly and Yakua pouted as Garu pulled his hand away, raising an eyebrow. He couldn't help but think the girl was somewhat of a slut, the tightness and shortness of her outfit not helping his assumption. Abyo must have noticed this too, because he almost choked on his tea.

* * *

Pucca and Rin-Tou were sitting next to each other on the window sill. He watched her carefully and took a deep breath.

"I understand if you're not really interested in going out with me." He said after a while. Pucca looked up at him, slightly shocked.

"No I want to!" she exclaimed quickly, but slumped when his expression didn't change. "…okay fine. I'll be honest with you. There is… _was_ something going on between Garu and I."

"Anyone could figure that out, Pucca." Rin-Tou smiled at the flustered look on her face when he said that. "But I think it's sweet that you could care about someone that much… but I don't want to be used as a tool to make him jealous."

Pucca looked up and met his forest green eyes, which were filled with curiosity. She smiled a bit and looked away. "Don't worry about that. It was an in the moment thing and… I'm sorry if I lead you on. Garu and I had a talk last night after what happened and… I can honestly tell you that I think it's over."

Rin-Tou watched her speak, and felt sadness for her.

"Did he reject you?" he asked tentatively. She laughed a bit, pursing her lips.

"He's rejected me over and over for the last seven years. I just got sick of it. It's… unnatural for me to keep fighting for his affection. I gave him a chance last night to open up to me like he did before, but he didn't. And I don't want to keep feeling this pain. I've had enough." Pucca sighed, swinging her legs a bit and watching them dangle off the window sill. Rin-Tou listened to her carefully. "I just… want to get away from the stress. I need a break from the awkwardness that he makes me feel, you know?"

"Yeah actually. …When someone hurts you and you see them every single day, you feel like you can't breathe." He replied, looking away. Pucca nodded.

"Exactly. I just want a break. Just to get away for a little while." She said with a sigh. Rin-Tou looked at her once more.

"I should have said it before, but you look very pretty in purple." He muttered sincerely. She blushed and giggled quietly, covering her mouth to hide it.

"Sorry my laugh is so embarrassing… it has a mind of its own. It's annoying…" She turned a very light shade of red and Rin-Tou smirked.

"You shouldn't apologize for something like that. Anyone who thinks that laugh is annoying must be out of their mind!" he replied, leaning forward but keeping his distance from her out of respect. "It's cute."

"Thanks." Pucca smiled, sitting up. "So… I couldn't help but notice your scarf. It sure is a fashion statement. Is it part of your culture? I'm just curious."

Rin-Tou looked at her for a moment, his eyes looked at her painfully.

"Something like that." He responded with a frown. "It's a long story. …hey is that an origami bracelet?"

Pucca looked down at her wrist and smiled.

"It's a friendship bracelet. I made one for Ching and one for me. I used to be really into origami." She explained. Rin-Tou lifted her wrist examining it.

"This is some intricate stuff… I think I recognize these folds. When I started out, I think the crane with the diamond base took me a whole week." He chuckled, letting go. Pucca's eyes widened.

"_You're _into origami?" she asked and he laughed nodding.

"Ever since I was five I think. I can make these cool kites with origami dragon scales if I had enough paper." Rin-Tou said, beaming. "The kite takes a couple of hours to make, but it's really worth it once you start flying it."

* * *

Garu couldn't help but look where Pucca and Rin-Tou sat on the window sill. She looked so happy and animated as she talked with him. The thought made Garu's chest tighten up.

"Garu?" Aganii asked, snapping him out of it. "Is everything alright? You seem troubled."

"Hey is she your ex-girlfriend or something?" Hanuré asked with an amused smirk. Garu felt his face grow extremely hot and his mouth grow dry. Jarai and Yakua laughed, Aganii shaking his head.

"Hanuré, don't be so insensitive and nosy." Aganii scolded her, but Hanuré kept her eyes on Garu with interest, waiting for an answer. Abyo and Ching looked at Garu with concern.

"…It's complicated." Garu finally said, his jaw tightening. "…so you have something against ninjas then?"

Hanuré's smile faded, answering his question. She crossed her arms and tightened her jaw as well.

"I think they're arrogant hypocrites who hide behind a false sense of strength in order to appear more powerful than they truly are. …No offense of course, FireWasp." She replied. Garu's eyebrows went up in surprise.

"…is that so?" he murmured unsurely. "Then you must not have met many top rank ninjas."

"I still haven't." Hanuré added and shot him a devilish smile that almost begged for a challenge. Garu felt the corners of his mouth slowly perk up.

"We'll see about that." He replied in earnest.

Chang stood up and got everyone's attention as the officials wheeled out the old machine behind him. Everyone quieted so that Chang could explain what the opening fights would entail.

"Tomorrow afternoon there will be two matches. These matches will be two people from one village against two people from another village. All of your names have been entered into this machine by village. Two people at random from each village will be chosen to fight alongside each other. Teamwork is essential for these matches. The two losing teams will have to select from one of their own teammates who participated in the match in order to decide who will be disqualified. Now! Tomorrow's first match will be…" Chang began, turning to the machine which began to make whirring noises. The officials pushed buttons on the machine until it came to a stop. Once the results printed, Chang lifted the paper and read from it. "Crux Village VS Za-Un Village. Ceo and Torin will be facing Sorra and Rin-Tou."

Rin-Tou's face grew extremely pale as the Crux table snickered, overconfident. Pucca looked back and glared at them, and then back to Rin-Tou again with concern in her eyes.

"The second match will be Sooga Village VS Driftyne Village. Ching and Tobe will be facing Aganii and Hanuré. Good luck to all, and I will see everyone here at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon!" Chang finished and turned back to the officials in order to plan the following matches. The room began to fill with discussion once more, Hanuré smirking at Ching.

"Good luck tomorrow." Hanuré said politely and stood up. With a heated glance at Garu, she walked away and Aganii smiled apologetically.

"She means well, I promise." He said and they all chuckled as he headed after her.

"Abyo, I'm gunna grab my sweater and then we can head out on our date." Ching said and kissed his cheek, walking away. Abyo blushed at the look Jarai and Yakua gave him, mumbled something about needing to use the bathroom, and left. Garu watched hopelessly as Pucca and Rin-Tou headed out the door, laughing and talking about getting some ice cream. Jarai patted his back in an attempt to be reassuring, but Garu just sighed.

"Garu you can come with us if you'd like." Yakua suggested. "We were going to go to that restaurant across the street."

"Thanks, but I think I'm going to head home and get some training done." Garu replied, standing up. "Tell Aganii and Hanuré I wish them luck."

Jarai nodded and Garu headed home. Yakua watched him leave smirking.

"What?" Jarai asked her, an amused look on his face. Yakua giggled.

"He has a nice ass." She mumbled and bit her finger. Jarai threw his head back and laughed.

* * *

Sorra watched Rin-Tou head out the door and scowled.

"Oaka. Kitsu. It's bedtime." She mumbled. The girl and boy looked up at Sorra, soon joining her as they all walked up the stairs. Before walking into the room, she pulled Kitsu aside and looked at him sharply. "Where has he gone?"

"O-on a date I think." Kitsu responded nervously, his scarf slipping off revealing a distinct red mark that wrapped around his neck like a collar.

"Kitsu…" Oaka mumbled, her head peeking out from the doorway, her eyes shining cutely. "Come."

Kitsu winced, the mark around his neck glowed faintly and he nodded as Sorra let him go. He headed into the room with Oaka. Sorra leaned over the banister and looked at the front door. She mumbled, "You have three hours, Rin-Tou."

* * *

As Ching turned the corner, sweater in hand, she heard voices in the next room. Curiously, she peeked her head into the room. She saw Chang and Tobe having a heated discussion.

"That's not fair! I entered the damn thing so it could be here. You didn't say I had to pass through to round 1 you asshole!" Tobe snarled, fuming.

"I want our village to look good, Tobe. So you need to try your best tomorrow. I want you and Ching to succeed. That won't happen if you don't try." Chang replied.

"You know I'm not as good as they are. And I don't give a shit about this village or about this competition. She could _die_ if I don't get this money for that procedure. Don't you get that?!" Tobe exclaimed. "If Chief dies because I can't do something else right…"

"That's your problem, Tobe. I will give you the money if you get through to round 1. That's our agreement. Now get out, I need to discuss more important things with the officials." Chang turned away. Tobe looked like he was about to cry, he was so angry. Ching hid in the doorway as Tobe stormed past her and out the door. She couldn't believe her ears.

'_Chief was sick? Tobe needed money to pay for a procedure?' _Ching thought to herself, heading towards Abyo who was by the door. _'I know that dad wants the village to do well but… what if Chief died because he refused to help Tobe out?'_

As Ching and Abyo walked outside, Ching hoped from the bottom of her heart that Tobe would do well with her tomorrow. If they lost… Garu and Abyo would surely vote to kick him out, there was no doubt in her mind. And what would happen to Chief?

* * *

As the sun started to set, Pucca leaned against the grass under her, her belly full of cookies and ice cream. Her mind was for the first time in weeks… clear. Rin-Tou yawned loudly and sat up looking at her.

"This seriously has to be the most fun I've ever had." He said sincerely, watching her smile. Pucca sat up as well, rubbing her stomach.

"I was about to say the same thing. You were right about the fudge and the caramel being great toppings… and the sprinkles." Pucca muttered, realizing how much she'd eaten.

"And the cookie crumbs." Rin-Tou added with a mischievous blushed and let out a giggle, standing.

"A-and the cookie crumbs too." She agreed. "We should do this again, Rin-Tou."

Rin-Tou looked at Pucca with a hopeful glint in his eye.

"Really?" he asked. Pucca nodded.

"I didn't get a chance to make those kites with you. And I honestly like being around you. You're so relaxed and funny." She told him, idly prodding at a rock with her foot. Rin-Tou took a deep breath and caught her gaze.

"Pucca, you reminded me how it feels to be… free again." He admitted, a burning look in his eyes. Pucca blinked, listening to the honesty in his words.

"What do you mean?" she asked. He opened his mouth to answer, but instead his body jerked swiftly and his hands flew to his neck, the scarf falling off. "Rin-Tou what's wr-… oh my god your neck…"

Rin-Tou had the same mark as Kitsu had, only his was much larger and was glowing bright red. He made a pained whimper, falling to one knee as it seemed to glow brighter and brighter. Pucca reached out to him in concern, but he backed away.

"I…I'll explain later… Pucca I gotta go!" Rin-Tou managed to get out, his voice cracking.

"O-okay but are you sure you're-"

"Yes! I'm fine!" Rin-Tou cut her off and grabbed his scarf. "G-goodnight!"

Rin-Tou broke into a full-fledged run down the street. Pucca watched him go sadly, feeling confused and worried.

'_Rin-Tou…' _she thought. _'What's hurting you?'_


End file.
